A Bird in the Sea
by wonderlandswurst
Summary: A collection of Plance drabbles. May contain various AU's (mainly a college au), and lots and lots of fluff. Will update whenever I write something new!
1. Routine Rant

_College AU_

"You won't _believe_ what I went through today!"

Pidge nearly dropped her laptop at the sound of the door swinging open and slamming into the wall behind it. Frowning, she hastily pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, brushing her bangs away from her face absently. She set the device down on her desk gently before turning her chair to resume the code she had been working on.

She knew it was Lance who had barged into her room, but she couldn't help glancing at the doorway to double check. Sure enough, her boyfriend was there, kicking his shoes off carelessly. She cracked a tiny smile at that, knowing how much he hated taking them off and putting them on every time he visited her room. He must have had a pretty bad day if he wasn't complaining about her "stupid rule." She turned her attention back to her screen, listening as Lance maneuvered around the piles of trash and laundry he normally cleaned up when he couldn't stand them anymore. He used to complain about not wearing shoes in a filthy room, too.

"Professor Iverson is _such_ an asshole," he seethed, stepping over one final clump of dirty laundry before reaching the bed. He let himself fall back on it with a thud, the bed creaking from his weight. His arms were spread out beside him as he scowled at the ceiling, remembering the events of his day.

"First, he springs out a pop quiz about a lesson I don't even know because I was sick when it came up, and he knows it. I know he was watching me struggle to find an answer. Heck, he even used _my_ paper as an example for _'all the wrong answers'_ and _'a student who doesn't study lessons they missed',"_ he continued, his voice going high as he quoted his professor. It was meant to be an imitation of Professor Iverson, but both Pidge and Lance knew that he didn't sound like that at all. He went on, "I mean who _does_ that?! Does he expect me to memorize the lesson literally the night before I go back to class? I mean, I borrowed Hunk's notes and read over them, but I had other classes to catch up on, too! You feel me?"

Pidge nodded, more of an indication that she was listening than an answer. This happened often enough that she learned how to tune him out half way and focus on her own thing, processing only enough of his words to know when to respond.

"And- oh man, that's not even half of it! During class…" the dark skinned boy droned on, but his girlfriend had already turned the knob and put his volume on one. She nodded everytime he stopped, whether he was waiting for a response or simply pausing to breathe.

Ten minutes in, Pidge had finished her code and passed it to her professor through email. Closing her laptop, she turned Lance's volume back up and realized he was still going on about his crappy professor. She rolled her eyes, sighing.

"... One day I'm gunna kick his ass and make him regret treating me like this!"

Swiveling her chair around to face the bed, Pidge saw Lance raising his fists and punching an invisible target. She snorted, her shoulders bouncing up at the same time. It was funny (and, she admitted, a little cute) how worked up he was about this, but she understood how bad Professor Iverson was. Even if she was never the subject of his bullying, she witnessed more than a few students fall victim to him.

"Why don't you start studying, and you can kick his ass by acing the next test," she spoke up, standing up to take a seat beside her boyfriend.

"That's…" Lance started. She watched him knit is eyebrows together, processing the only words she had spoken since he arrived. "Actually, that's a great idea!" he finished, a wide smile blooming on his face. He sat up and twisted his body to face her. "Pidge, you're a genius!" he cheered, wrapping his arms around her much smaller frame. "Man, I love you."

Pidge rolled her eyes, a smile tugging at her lips as she easily melted into the embrace. It felt nice and warm, especially after spending the past few hours sitting down in front of her laptop screen.

"Okay, you idiot, let's get started," she said into his shoulder, gripping his shoulders and pushing lightly. The Cuban pulled away after a few seconds, his pleasant surprise clear on his face.

"You're going to help me?"

Seeing the way his eyes twinkled with hope and excitement, there was no way Pidge could refuse. Not that she was planning to, of course, but it was tempting, if only to see his reaction.

"Yes, now let's go before I change my mind."

Without another word, Lance scrambled to his feet and picked up his discarded things from the floor. He slipped his shoes on with ease, and waited for her by the door. Pidge couldn't stop herself from laughing as she slipped her laptop in her bag and pocketed her keys and wallet. She smiled at Lance when he opened the door for her, hearing the click of the door as he locked it behind him.

* * *

 **Au** **thor's Note**

hi! thank you so much for clicking on this fic 3 means a lot that someone would even want to read my stuff

i honestly wasn't much of a plance shipper, but then while i was making playlists for different ships, i started coming up with a bunch of scenarios for these two cuties. they're super fun to write, and i'm going to write more as stress relievers i guess? i'm trying not to stress over these too much and just write, so sorry if it shows.

anyway, i hope you guys enjoy reading these!


	2. Do You Wanna See a Movie?

_College AU_

"Hey, Pidge, do you wanna see Beauty and the Beast?"

"Cheesy Disney movie remake? No thanks."

* * *

"Do you wanna go see The Greatest Showman?"

"Really? A musical?"

* * *

"The theatre is showing Millenium Actress this weekend!"

"Unless they somehow managed to animate it better, I'm staying here."

* * *

"Space Odyssey coming out tomorrow…"

"I have to work on a paper, sorry."

* * *

"Pidge, I reserved us seats for-"

"Not now, Lance!"

* * *

For a month, Lance had been showing up to Pidge's room with the offer to see a movie. And for a month, Pidge had been rejecting them with her natural sarcasm and wryness. She didn't think twice about saying no, sometimes because the movie was simply not her taste, and sometimes because she was too busy working on a project. Admittedly, she did appreciate his effort, especially when he started suggesting movies that came closer to what she liked.

It became somewhat of a routine for the dark skinned boy to poke his head in Pidge's room every other day, a movie title on his tongue. Pidge was so used to the sound of the door quietly swinging open and her boyfriend's voice following suit that she found herself wondering if something had happened to him when he didn't show up one day. She remembered yelling at him the last time he showed up. She had been doing some last minute fixes to the code of one of her major projects that day, and didn't have the patience to focus on anything other than that. Knowing Lance, she worried that she accidentally hurt him. He seemed fine when she texted him though, and she told herself that he was simply busy doing school work he had probably neglected.

Lance didn't show up the next few days, and Pidge's worry grew tenfold. They had been texting as they normally would, but something felt off. Pidge hadn't seen Lance since the last time he came to ask her out to a movie, and that was including class hours. Despite the fact that she sometimes complained about the boy being too clingy and visiting her room too often, his absence left her feeling lonely. She often found herself staring at the door, waiting for the familiar head of dark brown hair to peek inside, or even contemplating going over to his dorm room.

By Friday, Pidge knew for sure that the way she'd brushed Lance off all those times had affected him. She even checked with Hunk, his roommate. Her worry turned into guilt, and she started thinking of ways to make it up to him. She tossed ideas around in her head, most of them going in the trash bin as soon as they came to mind. Cleaning his room wasn't such a good idea when she couldn't even keep her own room clean, and doing his homework for him didn't feel like making it up to him as a girlfriend. She wasn't a very romantic person, which made it harder for her to come up with good ideas. Lance was always the one coming up with this kind of stuff.

After an hour of mulling over ideas (and maybe asking her older brother Matt for help), she finally had a plan she knew was perfect.

As soon as her classes ended for the day, she got to work.

* * *

"You're not going over to Pidge's room today, either?" Hunk asked, raising a brow at the lump of moping Cuban on the upper bunk of the bed. From where he was seated by the desk, he had a perfect view of the bundle of blankets he called his roommate. That same roommate who, for the past month, had been unsuccessfully trying to ask his girlfriend out on a movie date, and has been spending the past few days wrapped in blankets whenever he wasn't in class.

"No," came the muffled reply, "If I bug her any more, she'll hate me."

Hunk furrowed his brows, the way he did when one of his friends were acting out of character. He couldn't imagine Pidge, as fierce and foul-mouthed as she was, hating Lance. Maybe if he messed up one of her important codes or accidentally threw out something important, but even then she would only be angry for three weeks at most. He didn't see how asking her out for a movie would make her hate him.

He was about to ask if something had happened between them, when his phone chimed, signaling he had received a text. He glanced at the notification.

 _New message from Pidge Holt:_

 _hey, is lance okay?_

Yeah, something definitely happened.

He unlocked his phone and swiveled his chair around to make sure that his screen was out of Lance's sight. Not that he could even see what was on it from where he was bundled up. It was just something he did unconsciously.

 _Hunk Garrett_

 _He's been moping all week, actually._

 _Pidge Holt_

 _crap, i knew it_

 _Hunk Garrett_

 _Did you guys fight or something?_

 _He thinks you'll start hating him if he asks you out one more time._

 _Pidge Holt_

 _i was stressed out the last time he came and i yelled at him_

 _Hunk Garrett_

 _Oh_

 _Pidge Holt_

 _yeah, sorry if he's been bothering you_

 _i'll fix it_

Hunk texted back before setting his phone back down on the table. He trusted Pidge to patch things up with Lance, hopefully by tonight. He didn't know how much longer he could take going out to buy take out for his human burrito friend and listening to him talk to himself at night when he was supposed to be sleeping.

Sure enough, Lance's phone lit up with a text a few hours later. Its owner would have ignored it, if it weren't for the sound of chirping that came with it. It was the ringtone that he'd set for Pidge, or _Tiny Pidgeon_ , as he'd named her on his phone. Hunk wasn't surprised when a slender hand popped out of the mound to grab the phone before disappearing back into it. He simply rolled his eyes and shook his head before going back to the comic book he was reading.

Although Lance had been texting Pidge as he usually would, sending funny pictures and vines in between conversations, he was surprised to see that she wanted him to come to her room. _'Hey, could you come over and help me with something,'_ the text read. He stared at it for a few seconds, unblinking until a smile worked its way onto his face. It felt a little weird to go over to her room after physically avoiding her for nearly a week, but he couldn't think of a reason to come up with an excuse and say no. All he could think of was that Pidge needed his help, and she rarely ever asked for help, too. He couldn't help being excited to see her, either.

' _Sure,'_ he replied, _'Be there in a few mins.'_

It took him a few seconds to untangle himself from the layers of blankets and comforters he'd been wrapped in for the past few hours, nearly falling off his half of the bunk in the process. He all but jumped down from his bed, which probably bothered the guys living below him, and scrambled to freshen up as fast as humanly possible. Before long, Lance was ready, having washed his face with cold water, changed into a fresh shirt, and tamed his hair in three minutes.

"I'm heading over to Pidge's room," Lance stated as he worked on putting his shoes on, "She needs help with something."

"Good luck with that," Hunk replied, his eyes never leaving the comic book in his hands. He figured Pidge had her own way of "fixing" things with Lance, and didn't comment.

"Thanks, buddy!" Lance called, practically leaping out into the hallway. He heard the door shut loudly behind him, yelling an apology he hoped his roommate and neighbors heard before heading down the familiar path to Pidge's room in the other half of the building, where the girls' rooms were found. By now, Lance didn't even need to think of where to turn or which door to push- he knew it like the back of his hand. He's probably been to his girlfriend's room more than any other place on campus, including his own room (minus the bathroom, of course).

A few girls who were hanging in the hallway waved at the dark skinned boy, and he waved back amicably. They've seen him more than enough times to get past the point of awkwardly staring at him for barging into the girls' dorms. He'd even befriended a number of Pidge's neighbors, too, swapping skin care routines and makeup hacks every now and then. When the small girl wasn't around, he would sometimes hang out with them in the lounge while waiting.

It wasn't long before he found himself in front of Pidge's door, a chalkboard doodle of her staring back at him with her tongue stuck out. He remembered watching her draw that, and doodling a few things on it himself. Despite his excitement, he still found himself nervous, rehearsing things to say or do when he saw her. He debated entering unannounced like he normally did, but decided to knock instead, his knuckles tapping against the hard wood lightly. He didn't want to come in at a bad time, like the last time he visited.

When he didn't get a response, he wondered if she stepped out for a bit and moved to check his phone, only for the door to click open. His arm dropped back to his side as he peered down at the smaller brunette, a nervous smile playing on his lips. She seemed a little startled, probably surprised he got there so quickly.

"Um, hey, Pidge," he greeted, "Said you needed help?"

"Oh yeah," she responded, wide brown eyes peering up at him from behind a pair of large circular glasses. Lance noticed that they were slightly fogged up. Her short, brown hair was half wet, too, and she faintly smelled like soap. She must have taken a shower before he came, he pieced together. "Come in," she said, turning to head back deeper into her room and give him more space to enter.

The first thing Lance noticed was how clean the room was. Gone were the mountains of dirty laundry and trash they often had to walk around, making the room feels bigger than it usually did. He spent a good few seconds looking around in awe before turning to the room's inhabitant.

"You cleaned?" he asked incredulously.

"Thought I could clean it myself," Pidge nodded sheepishly, a hint of pride sparking up in her chest. She was glad she decided to clean her room. "I can't always rely on you to clean up after my mess."

"Well, you did a pretty good job," Lance replied, unable to stop himself from smiling as he inspected the floor, "I'm guessing you didn't ask me to come over to help you clean, then."

"Well, no," Pidge started, nervously glancing towards the bed. Although it was unnerving and a tad embarrassing to have her boyfriend praise her for cleaning her own room, she was more concerned about what she had planned. "I was kind of hoping you could help me build a fort?"

Lance whipped his head around to stare at her. "A fort?" he repeated, a brow raised skeptically.

"Like the ones made out of blankets and pillows," Pidge responded, clasping her hands behind her back and rocking back and forth on her heels, "I thought we could make one of those and watch some movies in it." She kept what she hoped was a pleasant smile on her face as she watched for his reaction.

At first, Lance was surprised, his eyebrows shooting up as soon as she finished speaking. Then, he was grinning and before the girl could react, his arms were wrapped around her waist and she was being lifted up. "Oh my God," she breathed, wrapping her arms round Lance's neck to support herself.

"I love you so much!" Lance squealed, swaying left and right as he squeezed the small girl, "Of course I'll help you build a fort!"

Pidge sighed in relief, allowing herself to finally let go of any thoughts that told her he would hate her idea. She relaxed as much as she could with the guy swinging her around, and found herself laughing. She missed his touch and how easily he made her happy.

"Okay, you big oaf," she patted his back, "Put me down so we can start building that fort."

Lance held her for a few more seconds before obliging, setting her back down on the ground.

They got to work on the fort. They took the pillows off the bed, and arranged them over the comforter they had laid down on the carpeted floor. That would be their base. Using the furniture around the area and some masking tape, they secured a few blankets over and around their home base. They made sure to make the inside as spacious as they could, and even left a blanket to serve as the door to their paradise.

Their fort looked like a misshapen tent sitting in the middle of the room, but they were proud of the fruits of their hard work. Lance pulled his phone out automatically, snapping more than a handful of pictures of their creation. They would be going on his Instagram later on, together with pictures he planned to take with the tiny genius he was proud to call his girlfriend.

"You done with you photo shoot yet?" Pidge asked, her arms full of snacks she'd prepared beforehand. Lance rolled his eyes in response, slipping his phone back in his pocket before turning face her. She never understood the importance of documenting things in photos unless it was technology and science related (and maybe Lance, too).

"Aww, you got us snacks, too," he cooed, moving to help her dump the bags inside the fort.

"Who watches movies without snacks? What am I, a monster?" she snorted, and they shared a laugh.

They crawled into the fort, and moved things around to make room for themselves. The unopened bags of food were pushed to the sides, and Pidge's laptop placed on top of a stack of books. The smaller girl worked on unfolding a blanket for them to settle under and let her boyfriend choose the movie.

"Hey, these are all the movies I asked you out to!" Lance exclaimed, his eyes scanning over the list of movies Pidge had downloaded. "I thought you hated most of these?"

"Yeah, well, I felt bad about saying no all the time," Pidge replied, huffing as she finally managed to unfold the blanket and drape it over their laps. "I thought they would be more enjoyable if I watched them with you."

"Man, I love you," Lance breathed, snaking his arms around her waist and pressing a kiss to her shoulder. He smiled, "You're so sweet."

"Please, you're the one who acts like he eats cake for all his meals," Pidge rolled her eyes, although it was hard to miss the redness of her cheeks even in the dimness of the fort.

"You're adorable," he said, laughing when he saw the girl scowl in response.

He pulled away for a moment to finish selecting a movie, deciding to pick one that he knew Pidge had been wanting to see for a while. For all her thoughtfulness this evening, he figured it was the least he could do for her.

He settled back into the pile of pillows as the movie began. His arm found its way back around Pidge's waist, and she leaned into him as they watched the camera move through a house submerged in water, _'The Shape of Water'_ appearing on screen. Pidge let out a hum of approval at his choice, and Lance smiled, resting his head on hers.

* * *

 **Au** **thor's Note**

here have a deleted bit. didnt use it because i thought the one in the actual chapter fit her more. it comes after lance says "a fort?"

Afraid he would think it was a dumb idea, more words tumbled out before she could think twice about what she was saying. "You haven't been showing up and asking if I wanted to see a movie with you, and I knew it was my fault because I hurt you the last time you came. I was just so stressed out because there was something wrong with the codes of one of my major projects, and I yelled at you even though I shouldn't have, and even before that, I kept on rejecting your offers. It was kind of annoying, but when you stopped, I started missing you, and I thought we could just build a fort and settle down and watch some of those movies you wanted to see, y'know, like a movie marathon. Unless you don't want to?"

Her eyes grew wide when she realized what she had just said. She'd meant to play it cool, but she started panicking when she saw his expression. Her heart hammered in her chest, and she knew there was no turning back after saying all that.

"Wow," she heard Lance say, and she couldn't help stealing a glance at him.

Lance stood there, dumbfounded as he tried to process the word vomit Pidge had thrown at him.


	3. Nightmares

**Au** **thor's Note**

hello i actually really like how this one turned out, even if its short. hope you guys too :)

* * *

A knock resounded against the hard metal of the door, the light sound traveling to the green paladin's ears and bringing her consciousness back from her light slumber. She blinked the sleep from her eyes and extended a hand towards her nightstand, reaching for the thin frames of her glasses. She spared a few seconds to rub the morning star from her eyes before slipping them on.

Glancing at the data pad beside her, she fought the urge to check the time. Time was something relative to where the castle was, changing at every new location and adjusting to different forms of keeping time. It could be three in the afternoon where they are now, but 3 in the morning or some other unit of time elsewhere. Even without knowing, Pidge knew that it was late, and that was all she really needed. The rest of the team should have been in deep sleep.

Taking a deep breath, she fought through the heaviness sleep had left on her body and made her way to the door. She didn't hear anymore knocking after the set of raps that had woken her up, but she could feel the presence lingering outside. With a few taps on the data pad controlling the door, the metal slabs slid open with a soft hiss.

Concern washed over the small girl, replacing a good portion of her sleepiness as she peered up at Lance. Even in the dark, his dark skin was noticeably paler than usual, giving emphasis to the dark circles under his eyes. The light she normally saw in his deep blue eyes were gone, replaced by an emotion she recognized as fear. He looked like a scared animal despite the weak smile he offered. She gave him what she hoped was a reassuring one in return.

"Nightmare?" she asked softly, her voice still rough with sleep.

Lance nodded weakly, not trusting himself to speak. The smaller girl hummed in acknowledgement, taking his larger hand in hers. She noticed the slight tremor of his hand, and gave him a reassuring squeeze as she led him into the room.

One of the things the blue paladin loved about Pidge was how she didn't pry. At most, she asked a question or two, but never demanded an answer. It was purely his choice whether he wanted to confide in her, or simply relax in her company. It was almost always the latter, but she didn't mind. She understood some things were hard to talk about, and other things simply didn't need to be said. Her arms were always open for him, and he couldn't think of anyone else's shoulder he'd rather bury his face into.

The data pad that was on the bed was placed on the nightstand along with a pair of glasses as Pidge crawled back into bed, Lance following behind her. She shifted towards the wall to make room for the boy, and smiled when he laid his head down on her arm. She felt his arms sneak around her waist, her skin tingling against his cold touch as he pulled her closer. His forehead pressed against her chest, her other arm resting against his shoulder. She brought a hand up to stroke his hair, closing her eyes as they relaxed in each other's touch.

The sound of their breathing slowly overlapped as their rhythm began to match, and Lance felt an odd sense of comfort come from feeling the other's chest rise and fall in time with his own. He found himself focusing on the sound of Pidge's soft breathing as his eyes fluttered shut, the fear that took hold of him slowly leaving his body. He thought of how perfectly Pidge fit into his arms, and how soothing her fingers felt as they combed through his hair. Fears of being taken by the galra, losing Voltron, and Earth being attacked were forgotten, the way his body was entangled with Pidge's the only thing left on his mind as he slipped into unconsciousness.

In the dark, Pidge could only vaguely see the hint of a smile on her lover's face. She smiled softly as she continued to rake her fingers through the brown locks. She briefly wondered what his nightmare had been about before her thoughts wandered to what he was currently dreaming of. Something happy, she hoped. God knows how much he deserved to dream of something happy. He had been coming into her room a lot more lately, plagued with nightmares he never spoke of and fears she could only guess. Seeing him sleep peacefully in her arms was a small comfort, and she couldn't help thinking of asking him to sleep in her room every night if it meant he would get a good night's rest. She slept better with his body pressed against hers anyway.

She didn't know how much time passed until she finally managed to fall back asleep, her fingers still buried in the boy's hair, as if she was holding him close to her heart.


	4. The Story of Us

_College AU_

Pale light filtered through the half-opened blinds, illuminating the small room that belonged to Pidge. It was well late into the afternoon, the harsh light of the sun slowly darkening into a dim glow, although still bright enough not to warrant switching a light on. Hunk, Shay, Lance, and Pidge were sprawled out in various stages of concentration on a small, foldable table between the bed and closet. With final exams drawing closer, they thought it would be a good idea to have a little study session, despite their varying courses, and help each other out.

Lance groaned, his head smacking down on his textbook.

Well, it was a good idea for about an hour until Lance decided he couldn't absorb any more information.

"Oh my God, Lance," Pidge groaned out, dragging a hand over her face. "Would you please shut up and just study?"

The said boy sniffled, lifting his head to rest his chin on the book. "Can't we take a break?" he asked, throwing the smaller girl a pleading look. "Come on, we've been studying for an hour already! My brain is about to explode."

"No," Pidge answered, "Our finals are just around the corner, Lance, and you're the one who needs the most studying out of all of us. Please, just focus."

Lance winced at her harsh tone, unable to say anything in reply because she was right. He wasn't exactly as smart as the other three, and he couldn't afford to fail these exams. Knowing this, he sniffled once more before moving to pick up his pencil from where he'd set it down, sulkingly going back to reading his material. Hunk gave him a comforting pat on the arm from across the table.

Nothing was said for the next few minutes until a loud growl resounded, its volume amplified by the silence of the room. Instinctively, three heads turned to face Hunk, whose face had gone red with embarrassment. His eyes flitted from person to person, sheepishly withdrawing his arms from his practice sheet to his sides. "What?" he croaked out, "I can't help if it I'm hungry!"

Pidge stared at him flatly for a few long seconds before dropping her head and sighing. "Fine, we'll take a break."

Beside her, Lance perked up, throwing his arms up in celebration. "Good job, big guy!" he exclaimed, raising a hand up to give his best friend a high five. Hunk, still slightly embarrassed, clapped his hand against his unsurely. Pidge narrowed her eyes at Lance, and if he felt her piercing gaze, he made no indication of it.

"I'm going to order some take out," Hunk announced, getting up to his feet. "Do you guys want anything in particular? McDonald's? Wendy's? Burger King?"

Shay, having been silent so far, raised a hand up. "I would like something from Wendy's, please!" she said with a an excited tone. Despite having lived in America for a few years already, she still held the same excitement over various aspects of their culture she had when she first arrived, as well as her rather odd way of speaking. The others had grown accustomed to this though, and it was a trait Hunk found awfully endearing.

"Wendy's it is then," Hunk replied, shooting his girlfriend a bright smile. "The usual?"

"Yes, please," Shay nodded.

"And you guys?" Hunk turned to the other two.

"Mmm… Frosty and fries," Pidge said without looking up, already scrolling through her phone.

"Surprise me," Lance called after, trusting his best friend's knowledge of the menu.

Hunk noted the orders down mentally, telling them he'd be back in a few minutes as he stepped out to call the delivery service. They chorused back in acknowledgement before falling into a comfortable silence.

Pidge exhaled deeply as she shuffled to lean against the bed, bending her knees and resting her wrists on them, phone in hand. Her thumb swiped at the screen slowly as she read through a Reddit thread. Seeing her brows draw together with as much concentration she had while studying, Lance smiled fondly and crawled closer to her. He slipped an arm behind her back and settled a hand around her waist, resting his head on hers. He skimmed through the words on her screen, not quite processing their meaning and just enjoying seeing the same thing his girlfriend was.

From the opposite side of the table, Shay looked up from her notes and watched them with a pleasant smile. She had always enjoyed seeing the two of them together. They weren't as blatant about their relationship as other couples were, but the affection they had for each other was clear as day, and they expressed it in their own unique way.

"I cannot help being curious," Shay began, tilting her head slightly as she peered at the couple, the smile still on her lips. "How did you two become a couple?"

The pair looked at her with matching expressions, an eyebrow raised and slightly surprised at the question. They turned to face each other, maintaining eye contact for a few seconds before bursting out laughing. Shay looked at them quizzically, wondering if she had said something funny.

"Oh man, it's actually pretty funny," Lance answered, clutching his stomach as he laughed.

"And pretty stupid. On his behalf, at least," Pidge added, wiping a tear from her eye. The boy called her out indignantly, and she only chortled, a soft sound that held so much love and fondness for her boyfriend. "I wouldn't change a thing about it, though."

They exchanged a soft glance and fond smile, shuffling closer to one another almost instinctively as Pidge started telling the story.

"So, during our senior year of high school, there was this really big party," she began, her eyes twinkling at the memory.

* * *

"Come on, Pidge!" Lance called, his voice coming out muffled through the window. "Let's go!"

"Okay, okay! Just give me a minute," Pidge replied loudly, clearly frustrated. She looked herself over in the mirror one more time, frowning at her appearance. Her long, brown hair cascaded over her shoulders in loose waves, and what little makeup she wore made her feel like a clown. Those were the least of her worries though, as she was more concerned with her- no, Matt's friend's clothes. The black high-waisted shorts she wore felt too tight as she studied the way it hugged her body, and the loose gray top felt way too short to be considered an actual shirt, stopping just above the top of her shorts. If she so much as raised an arm, the shirt would lift up and expose the light skin around her belly button. Still, it felt a lot less exposing than the other top Matt had borrowed for her, and she decided she would just have to keep from raising her arms.

She heard Lance call her name again, sounding more annoying and whiny this time around. Huffing, she pulled her shirt down at the front before and made her way downstairs. She swung the door open with force, crossing her arms as she frowned up at her best friend.

"About damn time!" Lance started, freezing as he took notice of her appearance. He blinked a few times and he opened and closed his mouth silently.

"I… Wow, you look…" he managed to stammer out after a few seconds.

"Like a prostitute," Pidge finished for him, scowling.

"No, you look damn amazing," Lance corrected, rolling his eyes. "Where'd you even get this outfit?"

"Matt heard about the party and decided to play dress up."

"Oh… Makes sense."

They stood there awkwardly, neither of them really sure of what to say until Pidge spoke up. "Do I really have to go like this?" she asked, looking up at the older boy with pleading eyes.

Lance weighed the options in his mind. One one hand, they were already late, Hunk was waiting for them at the party, and Pidge looked great in the outfit Matt had prepared; on the other, Pidge was clearly way out of her comfort zone in the borrowed clothes, and he wanted her to be comfortable. He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Sorry, we don't have time to find you a better outfit," he replied, much to Pidge's dismay.

"I can just throw on a pair of jeans and a shirt! It'll only be a minute, I swear."

"Pidge, this is the biggest party of the year! You can't just wear your regular jeans and shirt."

"But- What are you doing?" she asked, watching Lance shrug off his jacket- his favourite jacket.

"You can wear my jacket," he held the article out to her, "If it makes you feel better."

The smaller girl opened her mouth to shoot back a response, but ultimately nothing came to mind. She grudgingly took the jacket and slipped it on, pouting. The jacket was several sizes larger than her, the sleeves extending a few inches past her fingertips and its body falling down mid-thigh. It was warm, granted Lance had been wearing it until only a few moments ago, and very, very soft. Pidge could hardly complain about feeling naked when the jacket practically covered most of her body and made her feel remarkably more comfortable, which annoyed her to some extent.

Lance smiled down at her, happy that her problem was somewhat solved. It helped that his jacket looked great on her, too, but that was something he would rather keep to himself.

"Now, let's get a move on!" he cheered, extending his arm to gesture towards his car. "Hunk's probably puking from nerves by now. We've kept the poor guy waiting for too long."

Pidge broke out of her sulk and snorted, starting towards the vehicle. Following after her, Lance helped her in before jogging over to the driver's seat and driving out of their street. He let Pidge connect her phone to the radio and select the songs. They fell into a rhythm of yelling lyrics back and forth, sometimes making their own parodies, until the venue came into view. The bright house filled with somewhat drunk teens was visible even from where Lance had parked, which was quite a distance from the house since the street near the house had already been robbed of parking spaces.

Pidge wrinkled her nose at the sight, crossing her arms over her chest after crawling out of the passenger's seat. The car chimed as Lance locked it, jogging over to Pidge's side. Seeing her stance, he snorted and ruffled her hair. "Come on, you grinch," he called, already bounding towards the party, "Can't leave Hunk waiting any longer!"

The smaller girl grumbled, patting her hair down as she started after Lance.

When they had first heard about the party, they were shocked to know that every senior was invited, whether they were one of the popular kids or not. Lance had been excited about it, constantly talking about it to both Pidge and Hunk, who hardly wanted to go. Not wanting to go alone, Lance had spent the week prior trying to persuade them to come.

Hunk had been the first to go down, after Lance had continually begged him to come in a rather pitiful manner. He felt bad about leaving Lance to go to the party alone, and conceded to the idea that it was their senior year so he might as well experience going to a party.

Pidge, on the other hand, had been a tough case. She didn't see the appeal of lingering in a crowded place, drinking bitter alcohol, and getting drunk. She much preferred staying at home and reading a good book. She was nearly immune to Lance's begging, and shot him down every single time. It had been harder to turn Hunk down, but she explained her case and he understood. It was only when her older brother, Matt, had caught wind of the party and urged her to go did she finally agree. He was worse than Lance, in a way, but she could never reject him. Besides, he had even offered to help her get ready for it, although the younger Holt sibling much regretted letting him dress her up now.

The people already at the party didn't so much as bat an eye when the two brunettes stepped through the front door, too busy downing beer and carrying their own conversations. Lance looked around with stars in his eyes, his focus flitting from the red cups in his classmates' hands, to the mush of bodies dancing to the too loud music, to the smiling faces of those already drunk, and to the not-so-modest couple making out against the walls. It was everything he'd imagined the party would be like and more.

He spotted a girl he knew from his history class, but found himself being pulled away before he could call out to her. He narrowed his eyes at Pidge, who had looped her arm around his and dragged him through the maze of bodies.

As if sensing what he was about to say, she spoke, "Hunk first, flirt later."

"Fine," he pouted, following as she looked around the house.

They found Hunk ten minutes later, talking to a girl who Lance recognized was from the volleyball team. Hunk seemed to be enjoying her company and vice versa, so they decided not to disturb them. Lance did, however, snap a picture of the two to tease Hunk with later, and texted him that they were at the party already.

"I'm surprised he isn't hunched over a toilet right now," Pidge commented, watching their Hunk with an impressed expression.

"The alcohol probably loosened him up a bit," Lance smirked, eyeing the red cup in Hunk's hand, "That, or the pretty girl talking to him."

Pidge snorted, her lips curving into a half grin. "Probably both. Sober Hunk would never be able to talk to a pretty girl without getting nervous."

Lance laughed, "You're totally right."

They lingered for a few more minutes until someone recognized Lance and brought them to the kitchen to get a drink. "Have as much as you want, dude," the guy, Kevin as Lance had called him, smiled lazily as he handed the Cuban a red cup. His movements were sluggish, which was only one of the many indications that he's already had a few drinks himself.

"One for your lady friend, too," he winked at Pidge as he handed her a cup.

Pidge took it in her hands awkwardly, mumbling out a thanks. She was unsure of what to do, especially when she had just followed Lance as he was being led around by Kevin. She settled for staring down at her empty cup while listening to the boys make small talk. She only looked up when slender fingers wrapped around her cup, a bit startled to see Lance smiling at her.

"Here, take this," he said, handing her a cup filled with a yellowish brown liquid. He took her empty cup out of her hands and turned to fill it up with more alcohol. Frowning, she held the cup up to her face and sniffed. It was definitely alcohol.

"Alright, now you're set!" Kevin slurred, throwing them a sloppy salute before sauntering off.

"Thanks, dude," Lance nodded in his direction.

Seeing Kevin disappear into the crowd, Pidge relaxed. She was more uncomfortable with the fact that he was drunk than the fact that she didn't know him, and was far more comfortable being alone with some as familiar as Lance.

"Do I really have to drink this?" she asked, frowning at her cup.

Lance answered by taking a swig from his own, grimacing slightly at its bitterness. He gave her a guilty smile. "What's a party without beer?" he shrugged.

Pidge rolled her eyes, setting her cup down on the counter. "Yeah, no. I'm gunna stay sober," she deadpanned, "Besides, who's gunna drive us all home if you and Hunk are drunk?"

Almost automatically, Lance raised a finger to retort, pausing to process her words. "Good point," he conceded.

Pidge looked at him smugly before they launched into a conversation about alcohol, the girl talking about why they shouldn't be drinking it. Lance, of course, dismissed her concerns and talked about why they should. Logically, Pidge made more sense, but it didn't really matter when Lance was her opponent. At some point, Pidge grabbed a can of soda from a cooler she saw someone open before, and followed Lance back out of the kitchen and into the living room. They lingered near the walls and watched the events around them as if it were a movie.

"Hey, look, a reason not to drink!" Pidge cheered, pointing at a jock who threw up in front of a girl he'd been trying to seduce.

"Clearly, he's had too much to drink," Lance retorted, sipping more of the bitter liquid.

Pidge shook her head in mirth, and this pattern continued on for who knows how long. It was hard to tell how much time had passed when everything around them was as loud and wild as when they'd arrived. Pidge refrained from checking her phone as well, since Matt had told her that she was supposed to mingle with real people, not technology. She only slid her phone out of her pocket when Lance wandered off to flirt with some girls and she'd grown tired of watching him. She was half annoyed that he had left her alone when he was the one who wanted her to come, but she figured this was to be expected.

Peering into the screen, vaguely noted that they had been there for nearly two hours. She shuffled closer to the wall as she opened up Reddit and continued reading the thread she'd started reading earlier that day. She tuned out the noise around her, and fell into the rhythm of scrolling down at a steady pace and mumbling a few of the more interesting replies out loud. Like this, it was almost easy to forget that she was at a party, wearing too tight and too short clothes and Lance's jacket, and alone at a corner.

On the other side of the room, Lance was talking to a girl from his English class after numerous failed attempts with other girls. His cheeks were flushed light pink, having downed a few cups of beer already, and his mind was buzzing from the alcohol. He leaned against the wall with an arm, holding his cup in the other as he put on a flirty smile.

"So, Nyma, what do you like to do in your free time?" he asked, his words slurring together slightly.

The blonde girl giggled, leaning against the wall lightly. "Why don't you tell me about yourself first, pretty boy," she shot back with a sly grin.

Lance blinked at the response, having never really gotten this far with flirting. His mind lingered on the words "pretty boy", and the blush on his cheeks darkened into a shade of red. "Myself?"

Nyma nodded, chuckling at his flustered state. "Yes, yourself."

"Myself," he echoed back, searching for a response. "I… Well, I- I'm Lance?"

At this, Nyma bursted out laughing, leaning forward as she clutched her stomach with her empty hand. Lance's face darkened, his blush spreading across his face as he realized how stupid his answer was. "I know you're Lance," she said, still shaking from her laughter.

"I-I mean I know you know I'm Lance," the boy stammered, attempting to redeem himself. "I just… It's just," he paused, thinking of a plausible excuse. "Automatic response?"

What he said wasn't any better, he realized as Nyma bent over in laughter all over again. Embarrassed, he sipped on his drink and looked around the room. It gave him some comfort to know that no one else was paying any attention to them and he was just in embarrassing himself in front of one, really pretty girl.

"S-Sorry," he found himself mumbling, "I don't really know how all this goes…"

"My, you are cute," Nyma chuckled, reaching up to pinch his cheek. "Is this your first party?"

He nodded.

"Ah, that explains it," the blonde nodded, giving him a warm smile. "Well, don't worry 'bout it."

"Thanks," Lance gave her a shy smile.

They eased into a light conversation as Nyma started telling him about what parties like these are usually like. She told him about the drunk stories of their peers, about the time someone stripped himself stark naked and belly flopped into the pool, and about the time the host of one party caught a couple making love in his parents' room and kicked them out while they were half-dressed. Lance laughed, forgetting his previous embarrassment, and told her stories about his own group of friends. He told her about the time they gave Hunk a panic attack making him think he slept for three years, and about the time they tricked Pidge into entering the boys' bathroom and she blended right in.

They talked until the blonde took notice of a crowd forming at the corner.

"What is it?" Lance asked when Nyma didn't finish her sentence. She raised a hand to point at the crowd, and he had to turn to see what she was distracted with.

"Is that normal?" he asked, pushing himself off the wall and standing beside the girl, a little dizzy from moving so suddenly.

"Yeah," she nodded. "Wanna check it out?" she asked, but was already approaching the crowd. With nothing else to do, Lance stumbled after her.

It was hard to see what was going on from where they stood at the back of the crowd, but it wasn't hard to _hear_ what was going on.

"What's up with your get up, kid?" Lance recognized the voice as Rolo's, the star football player.

"Yeah, are you trying to pick up some guys for cash?" Beezer, the quarterback, chided.

It was ironic, Lance thought, when most of the people here dressed like that.

As if reading his mind, another voice answered back snarkily, "It's kind of funny how you're calling me out on that when at least eighty percent of the people here are showing way more skin."

Lance snorted, laughing quietly until he realized he knew that voice. Furrowing his brows, he focused on the voices and tried to put a name on the third voice.

"Who even invited this nerd?" Rolo asked, addressing the crowd around them.

"FYI, the invite was open to all seniors."

"This little girl's a senior?" Beezer questioned, "You look more like a freshman, sweet cheeks."

The other voiced scoffed. "Maybe you could have skipped a few years, too, if you spent more time studying and less time boning."

 _Pidge._

Pidge was being cornered by the jocks. Lance would have laughed if he hadn't realized this. His eyes widened as the situation sunk in, and he started pushing past the bodies. He nearly tripped more than a few times, the alcohol distorting his sense of balance, and by the time he managed to make it to the front, his head was pounding and his heart was hammering in his chest.

He saw Pidge on his left, crossing her arms and staring up at the two jocks defiantly. Relief washed over him when he saw that was was unharmed, but his heart nearly leaped out of his chest when he saw one of them lounge at. The crowd gasped around them, but the other figure moved quickly and held his best friend back.

"Calm down, dude," he heard Beezer say, and Lance processed that it was Rolo that had tried to attack Pidge. "She's probably only jealous because no one would like a nerd like her."

Lance felt his blood boil. He was wrong. Pidge was a nerd, yes, but she was smart- smart enough to skip two years of high school and win numerous math and science competition. She was also pretty. He thought Pidge was a boy when they first met, but even then he thought she was pretty. She was kind, although she hid it behind her fierce and sarcastic demeanor. She was funny, cracking her own fair share of jokes every now and then. Above all, she was the best girl he's ever met, and he sure as hell liked her.

Before he could think better of it, he stumbled into the scene and voiced his disagreement. "You're wrong!" he said loudly, "Pidge is very likeable."

From behind him, Pidge stared with wide eyes. She had opened her mouth to retort when Lance stepped in, his voice drowning hers out. "Lance, what the fuck?" she asked incredulously, but her comment went unnoticed as the dark skinned boy focused on the football players.

"Really? And who are you?" Rolo shot back, glaring. He'd calmed down enough for Beezer to let go of him, rolling his shoulders as he stood to his full height.

"The name's Lance," he shot back, smirking confidently. It was then that Pidge knew Lance was drunk. The confidence he exuded reeked greatly of alcohol, and if this were any other day, he would have cowered under the pressure.

"Okay, _Lance_ ," Rolo started, "If this kid's so likeable, why doesn't she have a boyfriend?"

"She does."

"Well where is he? I doubt a real boyfriend would let his girlfriend go to a party all alone."

 _Oh no_ , Pidge thought, already knowing where this argument was going.

"Right here!"

Pidge squeezed her eyes shut and grimaced at the words, tensing as the crowd went silent. She could feel the eyes on her bearing holes into her skin, and she wished she had stayed at home instead. If she hadn't given into Matt's pleading, she would have been watching a movie in her room, wrapped in warm blankets, away from this stupid party and away from this mess.

"Huh," Rolo breathed, and Pidge could almost see him shrugging with his almost natural cockiness. "Should've expected the loser and the nerd to hook up sooner or later."

She heard the squeak of shoes against the floor, and a second later, the people around her gasping. She'd only opened her eyes in time to see Lance fall to the side, a blonde girl with pigtails standing in front of him. Based on the way only one hand was lifted up, Pidge guessed she'd only blocked an attack from Lance, his drunken balance doing the rest.

"Oops," the blonde winced, as the brunet hit the ground. "Sorry, Lance. I think my boyfriend's had too much to drink. Better take him away now." She stepped closer to the football player, wrapping an arm around his waist to support him as he slumped against her, mumbling incoherently.

Lance lifted his head up from the floor. "That asshole is your boyfriend?!" he all but shrieked.

"Yep," she chuckled, rolling her eyes as if to say ' _I know right?'_. She adjusted Rolo's arm over her shoulder, hoisting him up before turning around to leave.

Sensing that the drama was over, the crowd made way for the couple and slowly dissipated. A few curious peers lingered, but Pidge paid them no mind and scuffled to where Lance was laying on the floor. She squat down and tapped on his head a few times.

"So, Mr. Boyfriend," Pidge said, her tone wry, "Are you planning to get up any time soon?"

Lance stiffened, hearing the irritation in her tone. He briefly wondered what he did wrong this time before recalling that he had proclaimed himself as her boyfriend less than two minutes ago. His face scrunched up into a grimace, mentally berating himself. He had acted in the spur of the moment (and perhaps in drunken stupor as well), and now he wished he hadn't.

He turned his head in Pidge's direction, opening one eye to peek up at her. She peered down at him with a tight smile, and _oh shit she_ is _mad_.

He gulped.

As the party slowly returned to its previous cheer, many people would turn their heads to see a tall, dark skinned boy begging for forgiveness as a much smaller brunette dragged him out of the party by the back of his shirt.

* * *

"How sweet!" Shay clapped her hands, smiling jovially.

"You think that's sweet?" Hunk raised a brow at her, "They freaking ditched me that night!" He had stepped back into the room halfway through their story telling.

"Oh _please_ , you were more than fine on your own, Hunk," Lance snorted. "I'd say you had the most fun out of the three of us."

"He's right though," Pidge agreed, snickering as Hunk made a face. Shay giggled beside him.

"Was it you or Lance who asked to become an official couple?" Shay asked, still curious about their relationship.

"Well, we basically pretended to be dating for the rest of our senior year," Pidge started, knitting her brows together as she tried to remember the details. It was hard to tell the difference between their fake-dating and real-dating when nothing really changed, aside from the occasional displays of affection. "I think it was during our graduation?" She looked at Lance for confirmation before continuing, "We agreed to fake-date until the last day of school, but then Lance told me he didn't want to _'break up'_."

Beside her, Lance blushed, pouting at the smaller girl. "Hey, no!" he exclaimed, "I said I liked pretending to be your boyfriend, and asked if I could be your real boyfriend!"

"That was after I asked you to elaborate," Pidge pointed out.

Lance crossed his arms and turned away from her, pouting. Pidge laughed at this, shifting to rest her head against his back.

"Hey, to be honest I liked pretending to be your girlfriend too," she admitted, her own cheeks dusted with pink. She felt Lance draw a sharp breath, and half expected it when he twisted his body to envelop her in a hug. He rubbed his face against hers, cooing at how cute she was. She pushed his face away from hers, laughing as she struggled to free herself from his grasp.

"Stop!" she squealed, "We need to get back to studying!"

Hunk looked at them from across the table, unimpressed. "You just _had_ to ask."

* * *

 **Au** **thor's Note**

and here's the story of how they started dating! initally, my idea was that they decided to give it a shot because people kept telling them they suited each other, but i didn't know how to write that and it evolved into this!

hope you guys enjoyed this :)


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